Southland Museum and Art Gallery in Invercargill has confirmed six Maori stone artefacts have gone missing and a police inquiry is under way.
Manager Gael Ramsay yesterday said the artefacts consisted of adzes and other stone tools including some made from greenstone.
She valued the collection at "up to $1000 at the maximum".
The artefacts were owned by the museum and were taken from a "secure" general storage area, she said.
Ms Ramsay said the museum "had its suspicions as to what had happened and it doesn't involve anyone internally".
Security has been increased since the disappearance of the artefacts.
"And we do have videotape and things like that. So we are in the process of screening all those sorts of things."
Museum chairman Darren Ludlow said he believed the loss of the artefacts was "an isolated incident".
"Security at the museum is adequate to protect the collection. Obviously, there was a chink identified. It was an opportunist event and I think we are confident that we can ensure it doesn't happen again."
